Monthly Archives:: January 2015

One Liners is a weekly feature where we look at a novel’s first line as if it were a pick up line. We’ve all heard the saying, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” The first line in a book is equally important as the last since it sets the tone and often will either make an impression or not. Let’s face it, it’s a little like dating. Will that guy with the cheesy pick up line score a number or not? So, I began to think…if the first line in a book was a pick up line, would you give it your number, agree to a date, let it buy you a drink, or do you walk away? Today’s book is William Gaddis’ JR and… Read more »

Have you ever been surprised to find out a film was based on a book? Film Friday is a weekly feature that spotlights films that were adapted from books. For today’s piece, I picked David Nicholl’s One Day because I just adored the book! The film is a bit of a let down because there’s so much that could have been done to make it better. Though I admit, I liked Jim Sturgess as Dexter. While I adore Romola Garai, I felt she played Sylvie a bit too cold. One Day (2011) Synopsis: After spending the night together on the night of their college graduation Dexter and Em are shown each year on the same date to see where they are in their lives. They are sometimes together, sometimes not,… Read more »

I’m thrilled to welcome Kate Meader to Lit, etc! Today’s the paperback release of Kate’s Hot and Bothered which I reviewed yesterday and I really enjoyed it! Kate’s easily become of my fave to go authors and on top of that (and no it has nothing to do with the fact with both have a master’s in medieval history). You can read an exclusive excerpt of Hot and Bothered here and there’s also a giveaway! Q. Tell me something about Kate Meader other than the standard bio on your website. A lot of people don’t know I have a masters degree in medieval history. I studied medieval nuns and holy women who used their connection to God to discover untrodden paths to empowerment in their community. Medieval nuns were probably… Read more »

To celebrate the paperback release of Kate Meader’s Hot and Bothered, I have an exclusive excerpt and it’s one of my favorite scenes from the book! Synopsis: Although her baby boy keeps her plate full, Jules Kilroy is ready to take her love life off the back burner. Despite a bevy of eligible bachelors, it’s her best friend, Taddeo DeLuca, who’s fueling her hormones with generous servings of his mouth-watering Italian sexiness. But Jules learned her lesson once before when she went in for a kiss, only to have Tad reject her. She’s vowed never to blur the lines again . . . After a lifetime of excuses and false starts, Tad has finally opened a wine bar, a deal made even sweeter when Jules joins his staff. Lovers come… Read more »

Kate Meader quickly became a new favorite author after reading the second book in her Hot in the Kitchen series, All Fired Up. When the opportunity came to review the third in the series, Hot and Bothered, I couldn’t pass up the chance. I wanted to see Jules get her happily ever after and oh boy did Meader deliver! We have good character development. Jules Kilroy is a single mother who is struggling with a secret: she’s dyslexic. She’s not very confident, but she has a heart of gold. Jules wants to live her own life and one way to do it, is on her own terms. So she moves out of her brother’s house and she’s ready to start dating. Then we have Tad DeLuca, who’s one of the… Read more »

One Liners is a weekly feature where we look at a novel’s first line as if it were a pick up line. We’ve all heard the saying, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” The first line in a book is equally important as the last since it sets the tone and often will either make an impression or not. Let’s face it, it’s a little like dating. Will that guy with the cheesy pick up line score a number or not? So, I began to think…if the first line in a book was a pick up line, would you give it your number, agree to a date, let it buy you a drink, or do you walk away? Today’s book is John Barth’s The End… Read more »

I’ve had my eye on Rachel Van Dyken for a while and when the opportunity came to review The Wager, I couldn’t pass up the chance. Unfortunately, it’s a forgettable book and definitely left me with no desire to read anymore of her books. Ultimately it comes down to her writing and unbelievable characters and situations. 1. The characters are put into some ridiculous situations. For example, Jake and Char are on the same flight and to teach Jake a lesson (after breaking her heart), she initiates a fight that requires the intervention of an air marshal who uses peanuts to subdue Jake. But here’s the kicker-turns out Jake’s allergic to peanuts and you can very well imagine what happens next. 2. In order for Jake and Char to realize… Read more »

Last year, CNN aired a special called Dinosaur 13. It’s about the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex ever found and the US government seized her because they claim she was stolen from federal land. It was an engrossing documentary to watch and I wanted to highlight it in case you or someone you know is interested in dinosaurs. The T-Rex in question was named Sue after Susan Hendrickson’s discovery. She was helping the Black Hills Institute of Geological research look for fossils and stumbled upon what she thought could be a great discovery. The Black Hills Institute indeed found a precious fossil and began excavating. You might be wondering on who’s land they were on, the rancher, Maurice Williams, gave them permission to dig anywhere on his land. So… Read more »

Tasha Alexander’s Lady Emily series has been on my radar for a few years and I finally decided to give the first book, And Only to Deceive, a read because I love the synopsis to the ninth book, The Counterfeit Heiress. I wasn’t sure if this is one of those series where you have to read the first in order to understand or enjoy the rest of the books and therefore decided to start at the beginning. We have good character development. Our main heroine is Emily, Lady Ashton who is a young widow. She’s your typical Victorian woman and struggles to break free from society rules and one way she does this, is to marry Viscount Ashton. Throughout the novel, we see her transformation with Emily developing her own… Read more »

One Liners is a weekly feature where we look at a novel’s first line as if it were a pick up line. We’ve all heard the saying, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” The first line in a book is equally important as the last since it sets the tone and often will either make an impression or not. Let’s face it, it’s a little like dating. Will that guy with the cheesy pick up line score a number or not? So, I began to think…if the first line in a book was a pick up line, would you give it your number, agree to a date, let it buy you a drink, or do you walk away? Today’s book is Thomas Pynchon’s Gravity Rainbow… Read more »

We have a double header for today’s cover reveal! Both of them are for Molly McAdams’ upcoming releases: Trusting Liam and Changing Everything. I personally can’t wait for Changing Everything. What about you? * * * Title:Trusting Liam Author: Molly McAdams Publication date: June 04, 2015 Series: Taking Chances #2 Genre: Contemporary Romance Synopsis: When Kennedy Ryan moves to California, she never expects to come face-to-face with Liam Taylor-the intriguing man she hasn’t been able to forget. Somehow Liam managed to get Kennedy to let down her guard for a single night of passion that ended up meaning more than it was ever supposed to. Accustomed to disastrous experiences with men, Kennedy shields herself before he can break down more of the carefully built control she’s clung to for the… Read more »

I love reunited lovers plots and can’t say no to anything involving spies especially in historical romance. When the opportunity came to participate in the blog tour for Vanessa Kelly’s How to Plan a Wedding for a Royal Spy, I couldn’t say no! Besides I’m always looking for new historical romance authors to read and Kelly has been on my radar, but I haven’t had a chance to read anything she’s written. We have good character development and Kelly spends an equal amount of time with each of her characters so we get to know them really well. Evie Whitney is quiet and always gets in trouble despite not causing it. It was pretty easy to understand which twin her mother prefers (Evie’s twin is Eden and she’s rambunctious and… Read more »